Cowboys and cowgirls that live and breathe the western lifestyle have come to town for the Black Hills Stock Show's Ranch Rodeo in Rapid City, South Dakota, to compete in a true showcase of the skills used on the ranch every day, with the added pressure of the time clock.

“These are cowboys that are not going up and down the road chasing the rodeo titles,” said Ron Jeffries, general manager of the Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo. “These are guys that are on working ranches that are involved in ranch activities coming to town to show everybody – not only from town but all their peers from the ranching community – exactly how tough they are and how good they are at being cowboys.”

The Western States Ranch Rodeo Association, the governing body for over 150 ranch events in 11 western states, sanctions the event during the Black Hills Stock Show. During the preliminary rounds, the teams of four will only have five minutes to complete three tasks at the Black Hills Stock Show Ranch Rodeo.

• Steer Loadin’: Teams must sort off one of the three steers and load it into a trailer at the other end of the arena. The trailer gate must then be shut and latched to complete the task.
• Range Doctorin’: The team must head and heel the animal, lay it on its side, and doctor it with a paint stick before removing both ropes and releasing the animal. The “medicine," symbolized by the paint stick, must be painted onto the neck of the animal.
• Stray Gathering: The team must again head and heel the steer, lay the animal down, and then tie two or three of its legs. The tie must include one front and one hind leg, crossed in the tie. The steer must then stay tied for six seconds.

Failure to do any of these tasks properly will result in a no-time mark for the team. The top teams after these three events then advance to the finals where they will have to compete in five events, each with a two-minute time limit.

• Blake’s Steer Loading: Similar to the preliminary round’s steer loading, this time two teams face off and must rope and load a steer in the front of their respective trailer, then load their horses in the back and latch the trailer shut to stop the time.
• Rope Mug Tying: Two teams compete at the same time as they rope, mug down, and tie a steer. They must then remove their rope and the steer must stay tied for six seconds to receive a time.
• Pony Express Race: Two teams compete in a relay-style race where two team members start on horseback at one end of the arena, while two start on foot at the other. The first team member on horseback runs down the arena, passes a marker, and dismounts while the second team member mounts that horse and runs back to the other end of the arena. This process is repeated for the third and fourth members of the team before the time is stopped.
• Wild Cow Milking: Two teams race to head, heel, and milk a designated cow. Team members must then remove the heel rope while one of the members runs the milk to the judge who must be able to poor at least one drop from the bottle.
• Ranch Bronc Riding: One lucky member of the team must ride a bronc horse for eight seconds in a stock saddle (no rodeo bronc riding saddles allowed here). The rider’s score will then be doubled and subtracted with the team’s composite time from the other four finals events to come up with the final team score.

Jeffries has been a part of the Black Hills Stock Show for 21 years and reveled at the talent and entertaining showcase of the cowboy lifestyle this event provides for new fans and the ranching experts alike.

The event awards the winning team with a traveling trophy that they get to keep at the ranch until the next year’s competition. Jeffries believes the meaning behind that trophy is much more than the dollars and prizes won.

“It’s probably the wildest cowboy event during the entire Black Hills Stock Show," Jeffries said. "The competitive spirit here shines through in this event, and really, more than the thousands of dollars, and the great prizes, there is a lot to be said about cowboy bragging rights for the ranch."